donald trump jr. donald trump jr said nothing came of the meeting because the russian woman he met with wanted to talk about adoption instead of destroying hillary clinton's campaign. that story will probably work for donald trump jr. as the investigation proceeds because this is not a donald trump jr story. meaning he is not the person in the most trouble in this story. donald trump jr is now serving as a very convenient heat shield for his brother-in-law, jared cu kushner, who was also in that meeting, and was included on the e-mails entitled russia, clinton, private and confidential. the e-mails that set up that meeting. >> donald jr might face some legal liability for soliciting something of value to a federal campaign from a foreign citizen. that is against the law. but it is not clear that law could be applied to this kind of meeting. jared kushner is facing a much more serious criminal liability as a result of simply having received that e-mail. that alien. the e-mail. that is a serious crimina

donald trump jr. and a family acquaintance with something to offer. from the opening e-mail dated june 3rd of last year, some official documents and information that would incriminate hillary and would be very useful to your father from a music producer named rob gold stone passing on information he says is from a russian pop star who is the son of a real estate mogul known as the donald trump of russia. gold stone goes on to say, "this is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of russia and its government's support for mr. trump." that's the offer, dirt on hockey gathered by a foreign adversary to help him become president. trump's junior reply, if it's what you say i love it especially later in the summer and from there trump junior and gold stone go on to set up a meeting with what he calls the russian government attorney who is flying over from moscow. then in the next e-mail, the russia attorney. several more e-mails follow before donald trump looping in paul manafort and

donald trump jr.'s twitter account and these e-mails are staggering. again, this unquestionably depicts somebody saying the russian government wants to help the trump campaign with documents damping to hillary clinton, and donald trump jr. saying, "i love it" and setting up a meeting to do so. >> and taking the meeting. >> taking the meeting. what took place at that meeting is a whole other question and we have different versions of events. shifting versions in some cases. we still haven't heard from paul manafort at the meeting, or jared kushner, who was at the meeting's we heard from the russian attorney in question who's depicting this all as the trump people wanted damaging information on hillary. >> right. >> but she didn't want to talk about that. again, grain of salt when it comes to, to her story as well as anybody else's who hasn't been up front about this, but it's -- it's a staggering turn of events, and it's rather momentous. this can't just be -- this can't be dismissed as people out to ge

donald trump responded by saying we will see what happens. i don't like to draw redlines but i have some severe things we are thinking about. as to what those severe things are he doesn't like to talk about it but he did say this. listen. >> we will take a look at what happens over the coming weeks and months. they are behaving in a very dangerous manner and something has to be done about it. >> reporter: the other big issue that came up at the press conference was of course russia and allegations of russian meddling in the with election, donald trump said definitively he said i think it was russia that was behind this russian interference in the us election but he also said something he has said in the past, he also says he thinks it could be others, other countries as well. donald trump suggests he took another big swipe at his predecessor, former president barack obama. >> obama when he was president found out about this in terms of if it were russia, found out about it in august. he did nothing about it. why do nothing about it? >> a few

donald trump jr.'s role in organizing it to congressional investigators who had questions about his foreign contacts. according to people familiar with the events. and so, ron, it seems to me that the trump administration knew this was coming out. manafort's disclosed it. the house investigators know it. now it's on jared kushner's disclosure form finally, and it represents a possible crime in jared kushner's case because he did not put it on his original disclosure forms. so at some point, the trump administration has the decision, do we want to see this thing come out in the middle of a house hearing that jared kushner is the witness at, where it lands as a bombshell on jared kushner, or do we want it to come out before that and maybe come out with donald trump jr. being the star of the article because donald trump jr. doesn't face the same criminal liability as jared kushner does. >> yeah. you know, they're shaping up for a very interesting thanksgiving dinner in the trump household. i mean it does

donald trump jr. was e-mailed ahead of time about the material a russian lawyer wanted to pass along to him and was told the source was the russian government. don jr. admits he was promised information helpful to the campaign about hillary clinton. in response to this, his attorney says it's much ado about nothing. no one denied the existence of the e-mail. the russian lawyer who met with don jr. at the height of the campaign is now speaking out. listen. >> they had the impression, it appears, that they were going to be told information that you had about the dnc. how did they get that impression? >> translator: it's quite possible maybe they were looking for such information. they wanted it so badly. >> have you ever worked for the russian government? do you have connections to the russian government? >> translator: no. >> the white house denying collusion. the president's lawyers denying he knew about this meeting at all. i do want you to keep this in mind. this makes at least seven current or form

eric trump denied the claim. donald trump jr. in 2008 touted the ties to russia at a real estate conference. saying russians make up a disproportionate cross-section of our assets. saying we see a lot of money pouring in from russia. then there's jared kushner. the postreports mueller is investigating jared kushner's finances. as kushner's company was seeking financing for its troubled $1.8 billion purchase of an office building at 666 fifth ach in new york. "the wall street journal" says they're investing possible money laundering by p.m. who's reportedly in debt to prokremlin interests for $17 million before he joined president trump's campaign. >> the ongoing probe by mueller says he's finding the strike zone, and is continuing to gather documents relevant to his choirry. and those include records and business dealings close to the trump campaign. we don't know what's happening in mueller's investigation but according to to a new report in bloomburg, which is based on an unnamed report, and has not been confirmed. mueller expa

donald trump, jr. pre-empted it. i think there's been some frustration on the part of donald trump, jr. and people close to him about how the last couple of days have gone in terms of the disclosures and the slow roll, drip, drip. in terms of kushner, i'm not entirely sure what you're asking me. >> our understanding is that for a second time he has amended the information that he gave in order to get a security clearance. he gave that once earlier and more recently he did that to include this meeting that he hadn't previously disclosed. my question is, was he aware that you were investigating and that's why he amended this or was this just a coincidence? >> more broadly, without getting into specifics about our reporting and the nature of it, jared kushner did amend his security clearance form, his foreign contact disclosures. i believe it was for a second time, included some reference to this meeting. around the same time paul manafort provided some more specifics to one of the congressional committees that is inves

donald trump jr. who moments ago responded on twitter again, with this, media and dems are extremely invested in the russia story. if this nonsense meeting it all they have after a year, i understand the desperation. >> everybody lied. on the disclosure forms, everybody lied in the trump administration about this meeting. >> if there is a conspiracy to obtain foreign assistance, that's a crime. >> there was no other connection, no phone calls or no further meetings, this is a massive nothing burger. >> it is not standard political practice to seek information from a foreign government. >> we don't know all the details. i know it's serious and i said a long time ago it's serious and this is a serious situation and one that is a long way from over. >> we're now beyond obstruction of justice in terms of what's being investigated. this is moving into perjury, false statements and even into potentially treason. >> lots to talk about here, including the conversation with sebastian go rca. >> qutsz new york

then donald trump, jr. the oldest son of donald trump at the time working on donald trump's campaign. and you have the tabloid reporter rob goldstone who donald trump e-mailed regarding the russian meeting with the kremlinx and they go back to the miss universe pageant in russia. the pop star, son ever the russian real estate tycoon. in fact he's the donald trump of russia. trump partnered with him to bring 2013 miss universe pageant in moscow which is when they met his son. so they were very familiar by the time the e-mail was sent. so you have the prosecutor general. this is where it gets interesting. the prosecutor is a putin appointee and also close with the other player in all of this, netalia is the lawyer who met with donald trump, jr. that day as well is jared kushner and paul manafort met there. you look at the faces on the screen and you have connection going back to miss universe pageant where goldstone was familiar with donald trump, jr. saying he could introduce donald trump, jr. to a lawyer wh

senator, yesterday after donald trump donald trump jr.'s e-mails were released, you tweeted saying, it is now incumbent of elected officials from both parties to stand up and do their duty, protect and defend the constitution. what did you mean my that? >> first of all, i hope that this will lay to rest the argument that we hear in these corridors that there isn't any evidence of collusion, because there certainly is clear evidence that there was an attempt at collusion. and what my colleagues have got to do and it's important to do this in a bipartisan way, is insist on strong oversight, ask the tough questions, make sure that there are plenty of open hearings, use the subpoena power, and go where the facts lead. >> do you question at this point his credibility. i mean, as you said, all we know about what happened in the meeting is from donald trump jr. and also the russian attorney, who has given an interview to nbc. the president, this morning, tweeted praising his son for being open and transparent, and yet we know, donald trump jr.'s

donald trump jr. met with a russian lawyer after a middleman told him that she was a russian government official who had information that was part of russia's effort to help donald trump win the u.s. presidential election. that's according to an e-mail chain that donald trump jr. himself released today on twitter. he tweeted it just minutes before he knew that "the new york times" was posting a story with all of the details from those same e-mails. in the message, a british publicist claims to be working on behalf of a russian pop star and the pop star's father who is a russian billionaire with close ties to the kremlin. the publicist claims the pop star and the pop star's father met with the russian lawyer and that she had dirt on hillary clinton. the publicist later arrange as meeting between the russian lawyer and donald trump jr. at trump tower in new york city. "the new york times" wrote news over the weekend. the newspaper reported that the president's son met with the lawyer in june of last yea

donald trump, jr., was willing to meet with me. i spoke with a young gentleman for probably the first 7-10 minutes, and then he stood up and left the room. it was mr. jared kushner and he never came back. the other individual who was at the meeting was always looking at his phone. he never took any active part in the conversation. that was mr. paul manafort. >> have you ever worked for the russian government? do you have connections to the russian government? >> no. >> eric: the emails that led to that meeting called her a government lawyer and claimed that there was incriminating information. what do the donald trump junior revelations that he released this morning mean? josh, supporters will say goldstone -- he is a music promoter trying to help his friends. critics pointing to potential collusion, cooperation and even perhaps conspiracy. or is this just a naive move? >> the first move of american politics is never taken a meeting with a representative of a foreign adversary who apparently was promising information about hillary

trump." and donald trump jr. responded, "if it's what you say, i love it, especially later in the summer." so, does any of this add up to collusion with the russians, influence in the election? is it illegal? >> well, there's no federal collusion statute. there is a federal conspiracy statute. the question is whether there is underlying criminal violation to investigate. and i have said i think from the beginning -- you know, we've discussed this many times now in the past, over the first six months of the trump administration -- collusion in my mind requires first that you have a high-level campaign official with the trump campaign, okay? so, apparently, that's been satisfied. it's donald trump jr., the campaign manager. second, it requires that, you know, there were discussions with a russian government official. still somewhat unclear as to whether this russian lawyer is a russian government official. but third and most importantly, it's got to be collusion when which what's dangled out there is the russians s

trump jr., about donald trump sr. so i think he was measured, he was circumspect. he was in that encounter. certainly that's exactly what the fbi wants, is if there's a foreign nation state or a non-state actor trying to influence a domestic election, they want the fbi to be called. that is the process. the congressman that you had on followed exactly what he should have done in that situation. now we see what the other side does when -- when you don't follow that process. >> does it matter where it comes from? would it matter, for example, if it came from an ally like canada or the uk as opposed to russia? >> i think we're talking about external influence on a domestic election. >> of any kind? >> i think of any kind. and if in doubt, these folks should be, you know, calling the fbi. first, get good legal counsel. if that's the first step, but then, you know, consider going to the fbi. it could be -- and i heard your engagement with the congressman. donald trump jr. is not an elected official. he's not been in politi

donald trump jr.'s saying his explanations, what are you thinking? >> what he said in that e-mail, if it's what you say it is, i love it. the question is what part did he not love or did he take the information and want to hold on to it, not give in saying that this was what he wanted. there are a lot of questions still about what's going on. but, there is a lot of smoke around here when it comes to these e-mails, and at issue -- and i'm going back to something david said. when you look at the support for donald trump, president donald trump right now, yes, his base is supporting him still but there is a little bias, some republicans on the hill that are looking at this askew. but tame you have rob there are people who are putting a lot of stock into this investigation, mueller. and if mueller sees the smoke and finds the fire, we'll wonder will things change. will there be people saying there is something serious, not just owner the democratic side by the republican side. and for both donald trump jr

donald trump jr.'s meeting with a kremlin connected lawyer during the campaign. deputy white house press secretary sarah huckabee sanders saying there is nothing wrong with the president's son meeting with the russian lawyer after being promised damaging information on hillary clinton as first reported by "the new york times." >> i've been on several campaigns, and people call offering information. as i know many of you receive similar calls of people offering information. don jr. took a very short meeting from which there was absolutely no follow-up. the only thing i see inappropriate about the meeting is the people who leaked the information on the meeting after it was voluntarily disclosed. >> if this sort of meeting is normal practice in the campaign, do you know if there were any other meetings that either donald trump jr. or other representatives of the trump campaign had with other russian officials or any other foreign agent? >> i don't know of any other meetings with don jr. but i also haven'

do believe donald trump should bring that up? >> i think he should, just to poke the people who are complaining in the i and remind vladimir putin, cyber is a 2 way street. another place that was an actual issue and actual cyber attack, not a phishing scheme like everybody gets in their email which is what the election was about was in the ukraine. the attack last week that hit a bunch of computers in the ukraine and elsewhere was likely the russians. that should come up. people who were dismissing trump as the weaker person in this meeting failed to understand he has been in high end negotiations with sharks in the business world, bureaucrats in new york city, organized crime leaders and others. he had to deal with difficult people before. he is not going to be a disadvantage against vladimir putin. heather: it will be interesting to see what shakes out. thank you for joining us this morning, we appreciate it. have a great day. let's check in on "fox and friends," it is friday, you are outside. >> reporter: kind of a lousy day.

of course the presence of donald trump. emmanuel macron also gave a speech at the end of this 14th of july parade. that is unusual. usually the french president addresses the french people but on television on the 14th of july. he chose to do it here probably because he will be going down to nice later to remember the terrible terrorist attack that took base one year ago to the day. choreographed emmanuel macron here at this parade and filling those shoes smoothly. >> what came out of trump's of visit to france? >> donald trump and emmanuel macron had time to spend together. they had dinner yesterday at the eiffel tower in a fine restaurant on the second floor. they also spent part of the day yesterday and have a lot of time to speak today. we saw them talk to each other on many occasions. a lengthy handshake as well. at the end of the visit. emmanuel macron's objective was to put rants back center -- was to put france back centerstage as far as the united states and europe as -- is concerned. --will try to convince them co

donald trump junior, his washington related to donald trump. donald trumpjunior, his son, has admitted to meeting a russian lawyer after she promised him damaging material about hillary clinton. it happened during the 2016 election campaign. this is the original story in the new york times. at the time, donald trump junior confirmed he in the new york times. at the time, donald trumpjunior confirmed he had met with this woman but claimed the campaign was not discussed. a day later he changed his story and admitted that they had met under their belief that information about hillary clinton would be shared. donald trump junior says that no information was offered and it quickly became clear she had no meaningful information. the president's son—in—law was also at that meeting. we just got this update. donald trump junior that meeting. we just got this update. donald trumpjunior has hired in new york lawyer to represent him in connection with those russian related investigations. we can get more on this from washington. we just had an offer fr

that donald trump, mr. trump somehow seems to believe that his outsized personal and social media following make him larger than the presidency which a lot of people have been saying. he's wrong. he and his family seem oblivious to the brutal realities of washington politics. those will destroy mr. trump, his family and their business reputation unless they change their strategy toward the russia probe. they don't have much more time to do it. it's saying he thinks he's larger than the presidency and the family does, as well. they're dead wrong. >> yeah, i don't know whether they think they're larger than the presidency or not. i know this, the reality of the russia issue is threatening to engulf this particular presidency. there's a way for them to get a handle on it, a, they should go testify. donald trump jr. at least and kushner. b, i think i would ask for the russia sanctions bill immediately. c, i would have the intelligence community come to the white house, give me a full updated briefing on the med

donald trump has gone through a number of key staffers. you say it is an exaggeration and over reported by the media. caller: how many days? 189. only difference -- host: highland mills, new york, deborah on the line for democrats. caller: good morning. i was thinking this morning that a person who is head of homeland security obviously is pretty too -- privy information of different agencies. i am wondering if this move is part of a strategy by donald trump to try to get as much information as he can about russia. if you cannot fire jeff sessions , maybe -- if he cannot fire jeff sessions, maybe this is a way for them to stop the investigation. host: what about the way the president has publicly criticized jeff sessions? i think it isler: a disgrace to our democracy and s wish american public' for us to take a higher stand. that solves our problems more honorably. host: ok. let's go to tennessee, thomas on the line for republicans. caller: good morning. mannted to call in, the that calls about three calls ago , i agree with him 100%. too

president donald trump. also what we're seeing here as well -- there is a divide between what the u.s. and south korea want in their policy with north korea and how to deal with the country. and then what china and russia wants. certainly this is something that is being played out here in south korea. media is focusing quite heavily on this perceive d divide betwen the two sides, them versus us, how to deal with north korea. china and russia asking that there is a halt in the u.s.-south korea military drills in return for a halt or freezing in north korea's nuclear weapons program. it's been rejected in the past. china has suggested this in the past. but it is a divide that is concerning some here in south korea. hannah? >> paula hancocks, thank you very much. in seoul, south korea. >>> well, moscow is urging washington to end its joint military drills that it conducts with south korea. matthew chance is with us now live from the russian capital, moscow. the u.s. and russia at loggerheads again over what to

donald trump jr.'s revelation that he met last year with a russian lawyer promising dirt on hillary clinton. there's that and there's donald trump jr.'s changing story about it. there's also repercussions. more on all of it now from our jeff zeleny. >> reporter: the white house faces a new round of questions tonight over potential collusion between the trump campaign and russians during last year's election. fresh off president trump's meeting with vladimir putin, it is another meeting in june of 2016 between donald trump jr. and a russian lawyer that's drawing fresh scrutiny. the russian lawyer, known for her opposition to u.s. sanctions against russia over human rights, said she had damaging information about hillary clinton. the white house on the defensive again, insisting president trump didn't know about the session in trump tower that came only two weeks after he clinched the republican nomination. white house spokeswoman sara huckabee sanders said the president only learned about it in the last

donald trump is the issue. it is not his staff. >> i heard an amen from you, a little bit there, michael steele. >> he hit it right out of the park. that is exactly the scenario that republicans have invited into their party. and they are going to have to live with it. this white house, this president in particular ideally would like the separation between himself and the party, why? because he's never been connected to it. he's agnostic on 90% of what republicans and particularly conservatives artic lit and he's philosophically anywhere at any given time and the philosophy is donald trump. and this is the reality of the party, you've seen it play out. you think you will get an agenda done on big stuff like infrastructure and tax reform when the president himself has not anchored the principles of where he wants the policies to go. good luck. >> yeah. it is going to be interesting trying to get things done in washington when you don't want to be connected to either the democrats or the republicans and don't wan

donald trump, donald trump jr., and the ago lair offs. i had actually interviewed months ago rob goldstone because i wanted to understand what went on in moscow 2013 when trump went there. and he laid out that there was much more to the visit than people sort of understood. there was a formal letter of intent signed between the trump organization and the agilarovs to build a trump tower in moscow. donald trump jr. was put in charge of that project. ivanka trump flies over to moscow in february 2014 to scout sites for the trump tower. then what happens? russia invades -- annexes crimea, intervenes in ukraine. the us and eu impose sanctions, and the sanctions tank the ruble. and basically undermine the whole project. it's no longer economically feasible. so that's a significant point when we look at trump's interest in lifting sanctions. it may have been a factor in his viewpoint of this. but when you look at the e-mails and you see that it's the agilarovs who are very close to putin, who are providing this -- offering this intelligence to

donald trump jr. facing an expose has released what he says that e-mail exchange with the trump family business associate last year during the campaign. the e-mails make it clear that the trump associate, publicist rob goldstone, specifically offered what he described as information from the kremlin. russian officials quoted in the e-mail saying that goldstone said offered to provide the trump campaign with some official document sent information that would incriminate hillary and her dealings with russia and would be very useful to your father. this is obviously very high level and sensitive information, said the e-mail, but is part of russia and its government support for mr. trump, closed quote. donald jr.'s response, 15 minutes later, thanks, rob, i appreciate that. he went on to say, if it is what you say, i love it. especially later in the summer. peter alexander is at white house. peter, an extraordinary e-mail chain. he says it is legitimate and the new york times said now from its managing ed

that undercut what donald trump jr. said. he didn't know the identity of anybody. >> if this was some -- i think this whole thing when you look at it. this was a set up to do what? to really get in on the. >> every former intelligence officer i've spoken with say the mo, particularly the russians is to use cutouts. to make an early approach to gather information. you can't say for sure that's not what was happening here. >> all we know is the facts that we know and she came in to discuss what? the magnitsky act. that never. >> comes into play. that's why people left the meeting in minutes. and everybody that was at the meeting said the same thing. it was very short, not what it was supposed to be about and ended up being zero. >> but every intelligence official says that's how these initial contacts go. dangling information and there's a prid pro quo of we want these sanction s ended. they're going to gauge the suceptability and the willingness of the other party to engage. >> makes for a fascinating novel and maybe a f

. >> we haven't put donald trump jr. or the russian lawyer. well did play an interview that the russian attorney gave. but of course if she is linked to the kremlin, she is going to deny it. >> jim acosta said they spoke to the russian-american. >> right. the other guy. >> and he said nothing happened. let me go back to the legal issue for just a moment. because i'm the lawyer. here is the legal issue. what law was violated by that meeting is? and your experts have said it too. nothing. and at the end of the day that's what this is about. >> we have to take a break. if you could just stick around, a couple more questions. i'd love to continue the conversation. >> great. >> we'll be right back. no. with claim rateguard your rates won't go up just because of a claim. i totally could've - no! switching to allstate is worth it. over the course of 9 days sthe walks 26.2 miles,. that's a marathon. because he chooses to walk whenever he can. and he does it with support from dr. scholl's. only dr. scholl's has massaging gel inso

donald trump, jr. and questions of election meddling by russia. donald trump, jr. released the email chain with his plans for meeting with a russian lawyer last year. that lawyer allegedly had connections to the kremlin. emails between trump, jr. and rod goldstone shown in part gold stone appearing to offer incriminating information about hillary clinton as "part of russia and its government support for mr. trump." trump, jr. replying "seems we have some time and if it's what you say, i love it. especially later in the summer." white house responded today and with a written statement. >> i have a quick statement i will read from the president. "my son is a high-quality person and i applaud his transparency. beyond that, going to have to refer everything on this matter to counsel and outside counsel and won't have anything else to add." >> bret: earlier in an interview with nbc news, the russian lawyer at the center of it denied working with the russian government or having any links to it at all. >> th

and then donald trump jr. came on after that, and i want to play some of his response to what you had said when you were blaming the russians for trying to interfere in the campaign to help donald trump. let's roll that tape. >> well, it just goes to show you their exact moral compass. they'll say anything to be able to win this. this is time and time again, lie after lie. you noticed he won't say, well, i say this. we hear experts. his house cat at home once said this is what's happening with the russians. it's disgusting, it's so phony. >> now we know not only that according to the entire intelligence community as clapper presented it last fall in january and since that it was the russians behind this, we now know that donald trump jr. had met with somebody billed as presenting information from the russian government to help trump and hurt clinton. i don't know the reality of what that actually was or what took place at the meeting, but we know he did take the meeting. your response? >> look, at every step a

shoulders -- >> donald trump. >> donald trump jr.'s shoulders. i think in jep not only is it sort of an example of collusion, this shows that they were open to it. i mean, look, i've run campaign, lots of people watching have run campaigns. you are very careful about who you neat with when you are a member of a campaign staff. you don't just run around with anybody. it's hard to believe unless trump tower or some house of mirrors or fun house, all these people in and out, reince priebus shows up, everybody else shows up and nobody had a conversation with the now president of the united states about what was going on. this shows there was a level of collusion and discussion and these guys were willing to talk to anybody if they thought it would help them, which means our entire country is potentially at riting. >> the russian lawyer says they wanted the meeting so baldly, i.e. donald trump jr. or the trump campaign. they could say we wanted opposition research, wanted the dirt on hillary clinton. if they were to make that argument, wha

. >> donald trump is a genius. [laughter] he plays the media like a little cat with a flashlight. >> iraqi forces coming close to defeating isis in mostly. >> the u.s. backed alliance syrians, arabs and kurds are closing in on the roughly 2500 isis fighters that remain.

and what donald trump is doing, what donald trump jr. is doing, what ivanka is doing, what the family is doing, paul manafort, michael flynn, the list goes on and on and on. it's unethical at best, treasonous at worst and they sold the united states down stream. whether or not they knew it, ask the question that we asked nixon, when did the president know it. that's the question. >> kevin madden, i'm going let you respond to that. last word. >> no, i think bakari has some passion behind this. i think it's indicative of just how i think passionate so many of the president's opponents feel. but you know, clearly i side with scott, as esaid earlier, which is the white house clearly has a challenge on their hands when it comes to changing people's minds about this, and the drip, drip, drip of information is going to continue to be a challenge. they have to get out in front of it and tell their story better. >> kevin, you and i have been working together for a long time. i remember working on the obama campaign when we were working for cnn an

donald trump jr. is, and i quote, mueller territory. in other words, it should be left solely up to the special prosecutor. what's the white house reaction to that? >> again, i would refer you to the outside special counsel, and i think that's something that they could work on together. >> so they have -- you have no reaction to what senator rubio said? >> no, i don't, john. >> all right. my other question is about personnel. the president has -- and you pointed this out yesterday in the form you handed out, numerous judicial vacancies to fill, including four on the controversial ninth circuit court of appeals. in an effort to speed this up, will the administration waive the blue slip process from senators or, and the opinion of the american bar association. >> i don't know if those conversations have taken place about whether or not to waive that in order to expedite but i'll be happy to check into it for you. >> i have three but i'll try to be quick. >> three? >> secretary mattis said about a month

i take donald trump jr. at his word and you're recapping what he says he sat there for that purpose. that is why he went to the meeting. but i'm just pointing out that the rest of the pieces here of the story, of saying that this is evidence of the trump campaign colluding with the russian government, where if they were involved, packed into john podesta's e-mail to obtain information. the additional pieces would be at that meeting, this russian lawyer would be providing that to help the campaign. this whole story line is missing important points. i don't want to take anything away from, you know, taking donald trump jr. at his word as to why he sat down at that table. >> the story line is not collusion, it's the facts. we have the facts from the source, donald trump jr. we appreciate you sticking around for our additional questions. >>> president trump has a question for lawmakers who say health care reform is dead. he says he can't imagine being in d.c. without a plan for repeal and replace in place, next.

that donald trump jr. was taking the meeting for, he thought he was going to get some incriminating information about hillary clinton. >> the reason i raised this, this week of all people, they said and he the drip, drip, drip. talking about every russian meeting he had since he saw dr. zhivago, he is playing the role of the cover-up king. we'll try mask them in the best way we can and deny any guilt. he is covering up. >> seems to confirm things people have talked about for a long time. that he had a direct hand with the lies coming out of the white house. >> let's take a look. i was never impressed with this guy before. he did say yesterday, stop the drip, drip, drip. it is undermining the presidency. >> here we are beginning another week. this one in july with a new revelation about russia. someone close to the president needs to get everyone connected with that campaign in a room. and say from the time you saw dr. zhivago until the moment you drank vodka with a guy named boris, you list everyone of tho

's >> donald trump, jr.,'s interactions with a russian lawyer, some lawmakers have expressed them losing focus. >> does exactly what we need to not be distracted by. we have things we need to do here. we have to come up with a health care outcome. we have to come up with attacks planned. we have to come up with the spending strategy, and we have to be disciplined and not get distracted by things that may be due legitimate about but right now interlace. >> they are wrapping up their working lunch and expect questions about all of the above, harris. >> harris: i would think finishing your job is a bipartisan issue where where do democrats stand? >> they will get to the reese's being bumped back, it later in august, bottom line there, still fighting for health care reform, four senators writing to donald trump, jr., connect mitch mcconnell, sandy want to work with republicans to address the insurance markets. lower premiums, and some other senate democrats have expressed concern about what the impact will be if

the idea that donald trump, sr. couldn't have known about what happened at this meeting is also bogus when you consider he was at trump tower the day of the meeting. >> you're entitled to your opinion, but not your own set of the facts. the fact is, don, jr. didn't know who this person was. he showed up and she started spew thing nonsense about the dnc. >> we haven't seen any e-mails. that's one of the things -- >> i want to ask jason something. you worked at trump tower, right, jason? >> yeah, of course. >> can you get into trump tower without showing an identification? >> not anymore. >> as of june of 2016 when that place was locked down by the secret service, you could walk in there without showing i.d.? >> there's plenty of times i entered without an i.d. >> wait a minute, jason. the secret service in june, when he's the candidate would allow a random stranger to come to the office? >> if you're escorted by someone. but this was an acquaintance that made the introduction -- he sat down with them, it was a 20-min

be under the same accusatory veil as donald trump junior? they all meet with russians. all of them. >> they should meet with russians but they are not running a campaign! he was a central actor in his father's campaign and he responds to an email that says, here's information intended to interfere in the campaign provided by the russian government, come to the meeting, and he brings the campaign chai chair. >> eboni: we will take a very quick break. we have a lot more to say. we will be right back. ♪ whoooo. i enjoy the fresher things in life. fresh towels. fresh soaps. and of course, tripadvisor's freshest, lowest prices. so if you're anything like me... ...you'll want to check tripadvisor. we now instantly compare prices from over 200 booking sites... ...to find you the lowest price... ...on the hotel you want. go on, try something fresh. tripadvisor. the latest reviews. the lowest prices. will >> i think the mainstream media as has probably done themselves a pretty big for sere by going so far, like going so extreme, by being so sensati

donald trump jr. there's more. at least five sources tell the "new york times" that the reason for this private meeting was the promise of election dirt. that would hurt the campaign of hillary clinton. cnn global affairs correspondent, elise labbot is here and we are joined as well. elise, to you first, what part of this is potentially damaging to the administration in the context of the federal investigation into election meddling? >> well, ana, this is an early indication that russians were seeking out members of the trump campaign. donald trump jr. says he didn't know he was meeting with an introduction from and doesn't say that miss universe pageant was held in 2013 in a suburb of moscow. so in essence, a contact he made in russia, trying to set him up with someone who had info that could help the campaign and so, the question is why didn't donald trump junior report there. and this plays into the investigation swirling, including the special council about contacts and allegations of inclusion be

donald trump jr. he made this request along with the republican chairman of the committee. he wants more information from kushner raising concerns that kushner did not disclose some key meetings in warner's words three meetings with russian officials left off some initial forms as well as information he is looking for from donald trump jr., presumably information related to this newly revealed meeting from last year with this russian lawyer. now, the question is when those two men will come before the committee. warner would not say when that would happen. either richard burr who i talked to about as well. but clearly these two men of interest to the committee as they are demanding more records. >> and i know you also had a chance to speak with the top republican in the senate judiciary committee, and he had something important to say. >> yeah, he did. he actually wants to hear from donald trump jr. in his own committee. this is the first time we've heard a republican chairman making this formal reque

donald trump jr. and a russian lawyer that's drawing fresh scrutiny. the russian lawyer, known for her opposition to u.s. sanctions against russia over human rights, said she had damaging information about hillary clinton. the white house on the defensive again, insisting president trump didn't know about the session in trump tower that came only two weeks after he clinched the republican nomination. white house spokeswoman sara huckabee sanders said the president only learned about it in the last few days. >> i would certainly say don jr. did not collude with anybody. our position is no one in the trump campaign colluded. >> reporter: but it's the first ak nlment people in trump's inner circle were willing to accept help from russians. the question of whether they accepted any is the subject of a special counsel's investigation and inquiries on capitol hill. the president's oldest son said he, jared kushner, and campaign chairman, paul manafort, agreed to meet with the russian lawyer to hear what she

donald trump jr. releasing a trove of e-mails detailing the lead-up to his meeting with the criminally linked attorney. what they say about the russian government's support, that kremlin-linked attorney speaking out. an nbc news exclusive interview with the russian attorney whom donald trump jr. met last june, her account of that meeting with the president's son, son-in-law, and steve bannon. >>> and kushner's clearance. the e-mails, jared kushner cc'd on the plans for that meeting. why didn't he reveal he had communications with a russian attorney in his security clearance forms? one of the dozen lawmakers calling for kushner's security clearance to be revoked joins me. up with of the dozens, i should say. we start with the e-mails released by donald trump jr. just a short time ago. they follow a series of bombshell stories by "the new york times" and what you might call evolving answers by the president's first born about this meeting with the russian lawyer. let's read through some of those e-mails

saw from donald trump jr. of surprise. that seems to be a major headline for someone in the midst of a campaign to discover and yet it seemed almost like a second reference or that this was sort of a known fact already. >> exactly. and i think that kind of presumption makes anyone -- you don't have to be a lawyer or a prosecutor to think this, hey, wait a minute. if i got that e-mail, i'd say, whoa. and i'd say that if i was the trump administration. but instead it seems like this is just a part of the general course of business and certainly opposite of what we've been being told throughout the campaign, that they had no relationship with the russian government. and here you see a meeting with his son, his son-in-law and his campaign chairman directly with a high-powered lawyer who works directly with the kremlin. >> in the e-mail chain again, we don't know if it's complete, donald trump jr. wants to have a phone call with the russian oligarch's son who is a pop star in russia who is the conduit to set up thi

last night donald trump jr. asserts that no information exchanged hand, high walked out thereof, it turned out to be not what was advertised, they started talking about adoption, ja jared kushner was on his phone. >> there's a legal issue raised here and -- about intent in a couple of places and a couple of respects. first of all, there is the overall intention to do business with the russian government over the campaign. that's going to color the interpretation of a whole host of other facts that we both know about and that may still surface in the investigation. second, the meeting itself could constitute a solicitation of something of value from a foreign national under the federal campaign finance laws. bear in mind that donald trump jr. says if what you say you have, then i would love it and it would be more useful later in the summer. under regulations of the federal election commission, the entire exchange constitutes on the part of the campaign potentially a solicitation of something of value, which is a